


the best secret's worst reveal

by Fandoms_Ruin_Life



Series: a hum betrays warmth [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Autistic Spencer Reid, Bisexual Spencer Reid, Canon Rewrite, Canon Temporary Character Death, Episode: s02e15 Revelations, Established Relationship, Hurt Spencer Reid, Jasper Thorne is a sweetheart, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau-centric, Kinda, M/M, Not explicitly mentioned but I always write him that way, Protective Derek Morgan, Protective Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Protective Team, Relationship Reveal, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Spencer Reid-centric, Temporary Character Death, episode rewrite, outside pov
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28983657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_Ruin_Life/pseuds/Fandoms_Ruin_Life
Summary: Reid’s kidnapping by Tobias Hankel was one of the worst experiences that he and the team could've ever gone through. Never before had they felt so helpless.So hopeless.But how does this story change when they discover one of Reid’s best kept secrets in the process?
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau & Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid/Original Male Character(s), The BAU Team & Spencer Reid
Series: a hum betrays warmth [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126043
Comments: 5
Kudos: 104





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As the banner shows, I headcanon a slightly scruffy Henry Cavill without his Geralt muscles in the role of Jasper. But if that doesn't work for you, really any black-haired dude that is around the same height as MGG would work. Even Cavill doesn't work completely for the description I will give in future chaps, but he did come the closest so I'm sticking with it. (I guess that’s what happens when you try to find an actor after you have written the fic). But, on the upside, I did draw what the soul mark should actually look like, so you have at least one accurate depiction of something I guess?? 😂
> 
> DISCLAIMER- Due to the nature of this fic, some of the dialogue is lifted straight from the episode. The main area for this that I can think of is most of the stuff between Reid and Hankel cause they aren’t affected by this change in storyline. Obviously, I don’t own this, but I thought I’d just state the fact here to be safe.
> 
> Also, big thanks to [King of the Winter Wolves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samsteed13/pseuds/King%20of%20the%20Winter%20Wolves) for being my beta despite knowing nothing about Criminal Minds! You're awesome :)

__

_“All the secrets of the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight.”- Robin Sloan_

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening!

Reid _couldn't_ be kidnapped.

This just wasn’t a thing that happened. It didn't even compute as a viable danger of the job. 

Of course, it had been thought of as a potential consequence of this career. But for some reason, knowing that logically and having it happen in reality really didn't seem like a valid option. 

Maybe it was because he was so young. 

Maybe it was because they were just sent to follow a lead which probably shouldn't have gone anywhere. 

Or maybe it was just because it was _Reid_. 

JJ didn't know. But what she did know was that she couldn’t process anything that had been happening since they had first arrived at the house. It was almost like it was occurring to someone else, and she was watching from the outside. 

It was shock, she knew, but once again, knowing that and accepting it were two very different things. She couldn’t even process the fact that _she_ was a victim too. Those dogs still haunted her every step, and she couldn’t even close her eyes for fear of seeing them again. 

She just wanted all of this to be over. 

But as Murphy's Law dictates: what can go wrong, shall go wrong. 

And go wrong it did. 

For how else could she describe how she found herself now? Standing in the Unsub’s house, watching Spencer's unnaturally still form lying on a dirty shed floor. A _shed_ which could be miles away from them, and potentially never even found. 

His long hair was splayed around his head, and his eyes gently closed, completing the peaceful expression that painted his face. Had it not been for his body still resting awkwardly in that knocked over chair, she could have almost mistaken him for simply sleeping. 

He wasn't though. He really wasn't. And despite the reality of the situation not fully computing yet, the sharp pain that had become a constant in her chest flared at the thought of it. 

Yeah, this whole situation was just about as wrong as it could get. 

But despite the horror that the sight evoked, she couldn’t stop staring. Couldn't stop scanning her best friend's body, hoping- _praying_ for this all to just be some sick joke. For Tobias Hankel to reveal that the stream was just paused and Spence was sitting back up in that chair again, hurting but alive. 

She just needed him to be _alive_. 

It was as she was completing yet another scan of his body that she saw it. Dark lines surrounded by purple-blue flowers peeking out from where his pants had ridden up slightly. Her heart skipped a beat as the implications of such a mark dawned on her. 

It couldn't be. He would have told her, right? Something that big couldn't be hidden from a team of profilers. And yet- 

"Guys… Is that… Is that his _soul mark_?" Garcia's question was tentative and watery, and it caused JJ's heart to drop. 

She had been right. 

The ground seemed to fall out from beneath her as she let the voices of her team float around her in a sea of overlapping distress.

"Oh my God…"

"It's coloured in!"

"Not for long, look!"

"Oh God…"

"No! No. This isn't happening…"

Concerned eyes turned to face her, and she realised that it had been her who had spoken last. The first thing that she had said out loud since Gideon and Garcia had called the team into the computer room. Her first visible reaction to the events unfolding, and it had been one of denial. 

No wonder the team had turned their attention toward her. 

She couldn’t handle that though. She didn't need their concern. 

Not now. 

Not when Spence was still lying on that floor. Not when, apparently, he had a soulmate out there. A soulmate who was now becoming aware of this news in the worst way possible. 

He deserved better than this. She could give him better than this. What he deserved was everyone's attention solely on him. That, at least as long as her team were cooperative, she could deliver. 

_She could give him this_.

"Did anyone know that Spence had met his soulmate?"

Morgan's understanding eyes met hers and she almost sighed in relief. Of course, he would understand what she needed; he was going through exactly the same thing. 

He viewed Reid as his little brother; had taken the younger man under his wing ever since his first day on the job. Morgan had placed a familial claim on Reid since day one, and had not stopped that protection since. 

He understood exactly how she was feeling, he was just doing a much better job of hiding the pain. 

"No. I always just thought that the kid was single. He always struck me as one of those people that wait until later in life to meet their soulmate. Like most of us, y’know?"

She did know. Though she had met her soulmate, Will, a few years prior, most of the team had not. 

Emily, she knew, was career orientated, and had an understanding with her soulmate to wait until they were both settled and had achieved their respective goals in life. 

Gideon refused to meet his soulmate at all, stating that _he_ wanted to choose who he spent his life with, not the universe. 

Hotch had been the same, though had rather more success in the relationship department with his wife, Haley. 

Morgan wanted to wait. At first, because he hadn't wanted to be tied down so soon in life. But now, it was because he didn’t want the long-distance relationship and ensuing complications that the job would bring. 

In fact, Garcia was the only other member of the team who had met their soulmate, a fellow technical analyst named Kevin.

It seemed insane that Spence had already met his, he was only 24! Even she, as love sick with Will as she had been, had waited until her 25th to make that trip down to New Orleans. 

That was what usually happened after all, 25 was the magic number. The moment when most people were either just starting to think of settling into their forever relationships or were properly situated into some sort of job after college and were ready for a new stage in their lives.

It was the age of commitment.

And yet, there it was. The mark resting just above his ankle, seeming almost mocking with the previously bright colours fading faster by the second. Someone right now was noticing the same thing she was, and had no idea whatsoever about why this was happening. Her heart broke, even more than it already had, for them. 

Almost as if answering her internal screams, Emily's voice pierced through her spiralling thoughts, "We should let them know, right? Like what happened? I mean, screw regulation! Reid deserves better, but at least his soulmate won't be left in the dark." 

Morgan exchanged a pained look with her before confirming: “Yeah. It's the least we can do.” He then turned to Garcia expectantly, “Baby girl?”

“On it.” 

JJ watched as Garcia teared her eyes away from the sight of Reid on the monitors, and for the next few seconds the room was filled only by the sounds of unsteady breath and the clicking of keys. Then, before any of them could even think about breaking the quiet that had enveloped them, Garcia let out an exclamation of achievement. Albeit, more subdued than it would have been on any other day. 

“Right, may I direct your attention to Jasper Thorne. He's 29 years old, owns a book store and shares an address with one Dr. Spencer Reid. Oh, and he’s one smart cookie too! He’s got a doctorate in English Literature and already has four published works to his name. That's gotta be the soulmate, right?” 

The team exchanged a few glances before Morgan replied, “gotta be.”

The high influx of emotions that had spiralled throughout the group these last couple of days meant that the shock of Reid’s soulmate being male barely registered. This task gave them something other than Reid’s body on screen to focus on, and they latched onto it with a fervour that had never before been seen by them.

“He home right now?” Hotch questioned, his tone as stoic and determined as ever.

“Unless his store has some wacky opening hours, he should be.” Garcia replied, “It's the middle of the night.”

“So much for sweet dreams.” Emily muttered darkly. 

“Okay.” Gideon added, and JJ couldn’t help but be frustrated at his forced positive tone, even though she knew that he was only trying to help, “So, home phone should work. That's good.” 

“Yeah.” Garcia confirmed, “If not, I've got his cell number right here and ready to go. Who wants to talk to him? Jayje?”

JJ had known that this was coming, and any other day it would have been absolutely fine. She was the liaison; she knew how to talk to people and had more experience breaking such news to family than she could have ever imagined. It was never easy, but she could always do her job, except- “I don't know if I can.” 

The words came out unbidden, and yet she found that she couldn’t regret this moment of weakness. She couldn’t imagine breaking this news to anyone, no amount of experience could ever prepare her for this. _Nothing_ could prepare her for having to tell someone that her best friend was dead.

She looked up to meet understanding eyes, and despite not wanting to speak of the issue any further, they deserved an explanation. One of them were going to have to take this job to allow her this reprieve, and though she wouldn’t wish it on anyone, the relief she felt from knowing that she could avoid this was overwhelming. 

“I know I’m usually the one to talk to the victim's family, but this is different. I'm sorry guys, but-“

“I'll do it” Hotch’s voice cut through her apology, and in an instant all attention turned to him. In all honesty, that was the last thing that she had expected. If anything, she would have bet on Emily taking the phone as she was the most composed right now.

“Hotch?” Morgan’s question echoed her thoughts, and she could tell by the look on his face that he had been expecting Emily to take her place also. 

She watched Hotch steel himself slightly before stating, “it's my fault you guys went there in the first place.”

“Hotch…” JJ sighed, a sudden weariness overtaking her body. Seeing their ever-unflappable Unit Chief looking guilty over something that wasn’t even his fault just seemed to add the cherry on top of an already crappy day. 

Still, despite exhaustion weighing her down, she needed to fight this. She couldn’t let him continue taking responsibility over something that was completely out of his control. 

However, before she could even get a word out to convince him otherwise, he cut through with, “no. Not right now. We're wasting time as it is, let me do it.”

“Aaron, are you sure…” Gideon trailed off doubtfully, his tone indicative of how much he disagreed with Hotch’s decision. 

Still, JJ watched as Hotch pushed forward stubbornly, and knew that no matter what they may say, he wouldn’t be swayed.

“Just tell me where the landline is.” 

“There's one in here, sir. Hankel used this space for work, remember?” Garcia answered after a brief moment of tense silence, one where no one knew whether to argue the point, or just let Hotch do as he pleased.

Hotch shook his head, “is there another one?”

“I think there's one in the father's room, but Aaron-“

“Not now, Jason. I need to do this, and I need to do it alone.”

JJ watched; heart heavy as Hotch then left the room to do the job that she couldn’t. Even as he exited her line of sight, she continued to watch the door, knowing that as soon as she turned around the sight of one of her worst nightmares would be staring at her from the screen. 

She had just settled down for another uncomfortable silence, one which would have left her alone with her spiralling thoughts, when Morgan’s sudden shout of, “HOTCH!”, caused her to jump out of her skin. 

Quickly, she turned around to see what prompted such a reaction and couldn’t believe the sight that greeted her. Despite her earlier resolve not to look at the screen any longer, nothing could tear her away now. Nothing could stop her watching these events unfold, and the mumbled, “oh my God…”, she couldn’t help but let out was a sentiment echoed by every single person in that room. 

With bated breath, JJ watched the scenes in front of her, shock and hope rising inside of her in tandem. She barely even registered the shouted, “what!?,” coming from the direction of the father’s room, glued as she was to the screen.

“Hold off on that phone call! Look!” Was all Morgan said in response, and she couldn’t blame him for not expanding. For how could she, when quite literally the last thing that anyone expected to happen was now occurring? 

How could someone even start to explain this? 

Hotch’s shocked gasp as he entered the room signalled his presence to the team, but no one could turn around to greet him. They couldn’t. Not when Tobias Hankel, _their Unsub_ , was giving Reid CPR right in front of their eyes. 

This was completely unprecedented; he didn’t fit the hero/saviour profile. And yet… there he was. 

A tense silence permeated the room, and they watched with bated breath as the chest compressions continued. JJ knew that the hope that filled her now would be crushing if this failed. If Reid had been dead too long for this to even work, the emotional toll would be devastating. 

This was not an immediate resuscitation, there was every chance for it to fail. But… the colours hadn’t completely faded yet. 

Maybe it was stupid to pin all her hope on some pseudo-science, ‘until the colours fade, they are not truly gone’, thought. But on the other hand, maybe this now didn’t have to be goodbye. 

Maybe they still had a chance. 

Just as her hope was about to turn sour, the compressions continuing long after most medical professionals would have started to lose hope, Reid convulsed with large gasping breaths and coughs. The coughs sounded so painful, and continued for quite a time before he listed to the side slightly, clearly exhausted. 

Reid seemed to be in a world of hurt, but he was also, oh so clearly, _alive_. 

This proof of life seemed to bring a warmth to the decrepit house. A hope filled the team, and this new, unexpected, chance fostered a surge of determination within them all. 

They had been given this amazing opportunity, and they weren’t about to waste it. 

Or, she prayed that they weren’t about to, for as she was registering the fact that Spence was alive, Hankel’s whole demeaner had changed once again. Terror filled her, as with a threatening voice, Hankel spoke to Reid, who was still lying vulnerable on the ground. 

_“You came back to life.”_

_“Raphael.”_

_Shit_. By all accounts, this was the most dangerous of Hankel’s personalities, and JJ wasn’t prepared to watch as he took Reid from them again

_“There can only be one of two reasons.”_

_“I was given CPR.”_ On any other day, Reid’s propensity to use facts and logic as a way to snark at people would have been cause for amusement. But not now. Not when a single wrong move could mean the end of everything. 

Luckily for all involved, however, the danger in question chose to ignore the comment in favour of pursuing his interrogation.

_“There are no accidents. How many members are on your team?”_

_“Seven.”_

_“The seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepare themselves to sound. The first sounding followed hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were thrown to earth.”_

That statement must have meant something to Hotch, for as soon as Hankel started detailing his thoughts, a look of understanding dawned upon his face. JJ glanced at him briefly, hoping for an explanation, and was given one freely, “he thinks it’s Revelations. The seven archangels versus the seven angels of death.”

Though still a little confused, that short explanation would have to be enough, as it appeared that Hankel wasn’t finished.

_“You must tell me who you serve, and you must be honest. You have five minutes.”_

And then, just as quickly as the stream had first turned on, it cut to black, and the lifeline that they had to Reid disappeared. 

Silence filled the room as they all tried to process what had just happened and JJ let them have a moment before she decided to break it. She had one burning thought that had not left her since the initial discovery, and she needed it settled. 

“We should still let Thorne know, right? I mean, I’m sure he must be overjoyed by this, but it also must be making this situation even more confusing than it needs to be.”

“Yeah.” Morgan confirmed, “he definitely still deserves to know.”

Garcia hummed in agreement, before continuing, "If I were Jasper, I would have wanted to be notified as soon as Reid was taken. Just imagine what he has been feeling through the bond this entire time. It must be devastating!"

They all took a moment to think about how they would feel in that situation, and found that they were glad that they couldn’t truly imagine it. Of course, they had felt the humming of pain through their bonds before, but for all of them, it had only been for common injuries such as broken arms or a bang to the head. 

Injuries, that after the initial pain, would not have been registered through the bond due to them being one-off occurrences. But this? This must have been a consistent hum which lasted days, before ending with the dimming and subsequent reanimation of the mark itself. 

There was no question in any of their minds that Jasper deserved to be kept in the loop, but there was another factor in play, and JJ found herself grateful that Gideon was the one to voice it. 

“Aaron? What do you think? It's one thing to let the partner know about their soulmate's cause of death, it's another entirely to let them know about a surviving partner's situation. We all know the higher ups won't care about technicalities here.” 

“Easy decision, I say we ignore regulation.” Hotch stated, authority lacing his tone, as if already arguing with Strauss for making said decision, “but we all have to agree. If this gets out, it comes down on all of us.

“C'mon, Hotch. Who do you take us for?” Morgan asked incredulously, and JJ echoed those sentiments. As if they could care about something like that right now. But then she watched Hotch glance at Emily and ask, “Prentiss?” and she understood. 

Emily was still new to the team, and was not as emotionally invested as the rest of them. As much as she would hate it, she would understand if Emily didn’t want to risk her newly-acquired career over a personal favour. A personal favour which wasn’t even for a team mate, but for the _soulmate_ of a team mate. 

But she needn’t have worried, for Emily didn’t even think about it before she answered, “he deserves to know.” 

JJ had liked her before, and that feeling was just compounded with this answer. Emily was clearly a good person, and she was glad that it was her who had joined the team to replace Elle. If before JJ had seen Emily’s place on the team as an opportunity for a great friendship, now she was certain that there would be. 

Even Hotch’s suspicions of Emily seemed to thaw with this response, JJ noticed, as she watched him shoot a rare smile at Emily, before nodding and attempting to leave the room. However, he didn't get far before Gideon’s call of “Aaron?” pulled him back.

Hotch wasn’t the only one confused by this, but Gideon just ignored the rest of the team and kept his attention focussed purely upon the Unit Chief, "Use the phone in here. I know you wanted privacy, but you really should be here if the stream starts up again."

JJ could tell that Hotch absolutely despised that idea, but it was clear that he hated the idea of missing the stream being turned back on even more. So, she was entirely unsurprised when instead of arguing, he simply changed his course towards the phone already in the room.

As Hotch dialled the number of Reid’s home phone, JJ could feel the previously released tension build to an uncomfortable degree. Never before had dialling that number been so daunting, and JJ just knew that this memory would be marred in each of their brains forever. 

Should they ever have to phone that number again, she knew that they would always be reminded of this moment. But if they managed to get Reid out of there? That seemed like a small price to pay in comparison. 

She just hated the fact that _this_ was the first time that Jasper was going to interact with one of the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no actual clue how old Reid was in this episode and I'm not inclined to change it if I'm wrong. If I were to estimate more accurately, I'm pretty sure he'd actually be 25 if we assume that the episode takes place in the same year it aired (2007). But for the sake of this series, 24 works a lot better for me so I‘ma keep it as it doesn't actually change anything anyways. 
> 
> Also, I know that both Will and Kevin can be controversial love interests, but I personally loved both of their characters and their relationships with JJ and Garcia respectively. So yeah,,, they gonna be the soulmates in this. Especially Kevin, cause if I did create an OC for Garcia, it would legit just be Kevin but with a different name, as he (for me) seemed to be the best fit for her in canon, before all the forced drama got in the way, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a shit ton of canon dialogue in this chapter, pretty much all of it in fact. I tried to avoid it, but I also couldn’t find a way around it that would allow for the story to flow properly, so….. 
> 
> It goes without saying, but I definitely don’t own any of it. I’m nowhere near clever enough to come up with any of that stuff. On the upside, the next chapters will be pretty much purely my work as that’s where my storyline properly comes in. So… there’s that, I guess.

“Speaker, please.” Gideon spoke up as they waited for Jasper to answer, and with a resigned sigh, Hotch acquiesced. A dull dialling sound filtered through the speaker, and with bated breath they all listened to it, hearts beating out of their chests. 

It took a while, and just as JJ was about to think that he would never pick up, a hesitant “hello?” sounded from the other end of the line. 

Though they had been expecting it, the sound was jarring and for a second there was nothing but silence. Then, JJ watch Hotch visibly shake himself out of the stupor that had affected everyone, and speak into the phone. His voice a mask of professionalism, almost perfectly hiding what must be a tumultuous mix of emotion.

“This is SSA Aaron Hotchner of the FBI, is this Jasper Thorne speaking?”

The voice ignored the question. Instead, he immediately latched onto the name being given as if it were a lifeline, “Hotchner? Hotch!?” 

Hotch took a steadying breath, “Yes.” 

“Oh, thank God! Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?!"

And with that plea, any doubts remaining over whether this was Jasper or if he really _was_ the soulmate in question dissipated. The voice coming through the speaker sounded terrified, and knew _without them saying anything,_ that something was happening. 

He didn’t sound surprised that they were calling, more relieved that they finally were. And to top it all off, he didn’t know _Hotchner,_ he knew _Hotch._

They had called the right guy, and yet it didn’t feel like much of an achievement. 

JJ just found herself, for what felt like the thousandth time, incredibly grateful that they had been given a second chance. She couldn’t imagine how difficult this conversation would have been had they been calling whilst Spencer was still dead.

She didn’t even want to think about it.

Hotch sighed, “there really is no easy way to say this-”

“I don’t care.” Jasper cut in, his voice stern, “just tell me.”

Which-fair. 

JJ could understand the need for people to get straight to the point when talking about a loved one. Hotch seemed to appreciate it too, for instead of getting defensive at the abrupt tone, he just replied, “Spencer has been kidnapped.” 

However, judging by the sharp intake of breath from the other end of the line, that may have been _too_ direct. But to Hotch’s credit, though he stopped briefly to wince at the reaction, he soldiered on, “you may have felt some things the last couple of days?”

“Yeah.” Jasper’s voice broke slightly, “bit of an understatement to just call it _some things_ though. It’s been near constant! What the hell is going on?! Is he safe now?”

And… well, that was the dreaded question. 

Even if it hadn’t been Reid that they were speaking about, answering that question was never easy. JJ hated the mixed bundle of fear and hope in a loved-one’s voice as they asked it. She knew that _they knew_ in their hearts that the reason they were calling, and didn’t get straight to the point, was that they didn’t have good news to give. 

But she also knew that they _had_ to hold onto hope.

Though hope could be debilitating, sometimes it was all that someone had. 

JJ just hated that time and time again they had to trample it just that much further, and felt her heart break- both for herself and Jasper- when Hotch delivered the crushing truth.

“Not quite.”

Which, JJ thought, probably wasn’t the best way to phrase it. Though, she supposed, there was a reason that she was the liaison. Plus, it wasn’t like any of them were at their best right now, she couldn’t blame the slip- it was one of the reasons that she didn’t want to do this call in the first place.

But judging by Jasper’s incredulous response- “not quite?!”- he agreed with her assessment and she couldn’t blame him for that response either.

Hotch visibly cringed when he realised what he had said, but before he could placate Jasper, the soulmate continued, “please, he’s already died once. Just get him the hell outta there!”

“We’re trying our best.” Hotch replied, attempting to reassure both the team and Jasper as he did so, “I promise that we’re doing all we can.”

But despite how much JJ knew that Hotch was trying, ultimately his words were meaningless without results. They still had no clue where Spencer was, and time was very clearly running out. 

But before Jasper could reply to Hotch’s promises, likely to say something similar to what she had been thinking, the screen flickered once more. 

JJ watched as Hotch managed to look both relieved and terrified as he quickly told Jasper, “I have to go. Just get to Georgia, we’ll direct you further upon your arrival and explain everything once you join us.” 

He then hung up before Jasper could respond, which, JJ thought, was sort of cowardly, but she also couldn’t say that she wouldn’t have done the same. Reid was once again on screen, looking overwhelmed and overstimulated, and JJ knew that nothing could tear her away from the screen. 

Not even Jasper. 

She wanted to prepare herself for what she was sure was going to be yet another traumatic experience for all. But before she could, Hankel’s demanding voice filled the room once again.

_“Tell me who you serve.”_

And, as expected of his training, Reid simply answered, _“I serve you,”_ in an attempt to bond with the Unsub.

But of course, Hankel wouldn’t accept it without proof, and she closed her eyes in despair when he asked, _“Then choose one to die.”_

_“What?”_ Reid asked, echoing all their thoughts, though JJ noticed sadly that his tone was more resigned than surprised. They all had known that it wouldn’t be that easy, and yet confirmation of the fact still hurt. 

Of course, the surprise of the specific request was still there, but the fact that Hankel _asked_ was in no way a shock to any of them.

_“Your team members.”_ Hankel’s voice was dark and gravelly, and she hated every single word that came out of his mouth, _“choose one to die.”_

No longer surprised, Reid didn’t hesitate before he answered, _“kill me.”_

Upon hearing the request, cold hands seemed to wrap around her heart and squeeze tight. 

They had _just_ gotten him back, and there he was just offering himself up on a platter. JJ wanted to be angry at his response, but deep down she knew that she would have done the same. 

This whole situation was just so unfair. 

It hurt her soul, and yet all she could do was just stand there, frozen in terror, and watch her nightmare unfold all over again. 

_“You said you weren’t one of them?”_ Stated Hankel, and though it was posed as a question, it seemed more of a fact. Hankel wasn’t surprised by this turn of events either, and that terrified her.

But despite the fact that JJ knew that Reid was terrified too, he didn’t show it. Instead, he simply replied, _“I lied,”_ and kept a steady eye contact with his kidnapper.

JJ had always known that Reid was much stronger than his outer appearance may imply, but she really hated that this was how he was able to prove her right. 

Hankel, it seemed, didn’t appreciate his confidence though. For as he continued his mission, his voice grew evermore dangerous each time he was denied an answer- _“Your team has six other members, tell me who dies-”_ and yet- 

_“No.”_

They watched in horror as Hankel then grew tired of the questioning and drew his gun. He pointed it at Reid’s head and commanded, _“choose, and prove you’ll do God’s will.”_

And still, all Reid said was, _“no.”_

The gun clicked and JJ’s heart stopped. 

With a huge surge of relief, she processed that it was a blank, and yet she couldn’t calm down. It was clear how this was going to go, and as much as she didn’t want to watch, she couldn’t force herself tear her eyes away.

_“Choose,”_ Hankel ordered again, and still-

_“I won’t do it.”_

_Click._

“C’mon, Reid.” Morgan muttered, his voice strained, and she fully understood why. _This was torture_. Standing here and being able to do nothing when the next click of the gun could very easily turn into a bang…

JJ _hated_ it. 

This feeling of powerlessness was horrible and the knowledge that Reid’s life could end permanently at any second was almost too much to bear. 

_“Life is a choice.”_

_“No.”_

_Click._ Still no bang, and yet that thought was not a comforting one. His chances were running out far too quickly and JJ just hoped that Reid changed his answer soon.

_“Choose.”_

With that command, for the first time since this had started, Reid paused. 

They watched in terror as he registered, as she had, that his probability of surviving this Russian Roulette had quickly depleted. JJ knew that nothing short of naming one of them would get Hankel to stop, and she knew that Reid had finally accepted that too. 

“C’mon Pretty Boy, just choose me.” JJ heard Morgan murmur, and she knew that everyone else in the room shared those sentiments. 

_Just choose me._

They weren’t the ones stuck in some shed with a gun to their head, after all. 

It was clear that Hankel was working on his own, and no matter how good he was, they would be relatively safe should he choose to go after them. Especially since this time they would have had ample warning of who he chose to target, not simply a phone call once he reached his intended destination. 

Choosing one of them, despite how much being singled out for this by Reid would hurt, was his only chance. JJ knew that not one person in this room would hold it against him, and she just hoped Reid accepted that this was his only choice.

The seconds ticked by, and though it had not even been a minute, it felt like a lifetime had passed before a strained, _“I choose Aaron Hotchner,”_ filtered through the speakers. 

JJ watched as a brief flicker of hurt and shock danced across Hotch’s face before he, and the rest of the team, focussed back upon what Reid was saying. 

_“He’s a classic narcissist, thinks he’s better than everyone else on the team. Genesis 23:4: Let him not deceive himself and trust in emptiness, vanity, falseness, and futility, for these shall be his recompense.”_

And as if that were some kind of signal, the stream turned to black once again. However, this time there seemed to be a certain finality to it, and she knew that they were now in the endgame. 

These two days of hell were about to finally be over, and JJ just prayed that it would end in their favour. 

Hotch had seemingly come to the same conclusion as her, for as soon as the stream cut out, he rushed back out into the dining room to where they had set up a temporary research base, calling out, “I’m not a narcissist,” as he went. 

“Aaron, you know he didn’t mean anything by-”

“No. Stop! Stop!” Hotch exclaimed, cutting Gideon off, “everyone, right now, what’s my worst quality?” 

That made them all hesitate. JJ knew that all of them had their grievances, as despite Hotch being their friend, he was also their boss. They understood that sometimes he had to order them to do things that they didn’t like. 

It just came as part of the job description. 

That, combined with not wanting to hurt his feelings in the first place, put them all in a tough position, and Hotch seemed to gather that quickly. For instead of wasting precious time waiting for an answer, he said, “fine, I’ll start. I have no sense of humour.”

“You’re a bully.” JJ offered hesitantly.

“I’m a bully.” Hotch confirmed, and JJ was relieved that he didn’t take offence to it. She would hate to break one friendship in the process of trying to save another.

“You can be a drill sergeant sometimes.” Morgan stated, though his tone was less accusatory than any other time he had told Hotch that. JJ watched as Hotch just nodded in response, and knew better than to hope that this old argument would be resolved any time soon.

Emily then, before Gideon or Garcia could contribute to the discussion, cut in quickly with, “you don’t trust women as much as men.” Her tone was pointed and JJ knew from both of their expressions that this was one of the many issues currently unresolved between the pair. 

“Okay, good. I’m all these things,” She personally couldn’t see the last one, but then again, she also wasn’t in the field. Maybe things were different for Emily than it was for her or Garcia.

In any case, she trusted them to sort it out on their own. JJ knew better than to get involved with drama that wasn’t her business. Especially now. _Now,_ when all she needed was for this to actually help in finding Reid.

“But not one of you said that I’m a narcissist because I’m not.” Hotch continued, finally getting to the point of this whole exercise. “Reid and I argued over the definition of classic narcissism and he knew that I would remember that, and look!”

He then passed the Bible he was holding to her, page open to Genesis 23:4. 

She glanced at the passage, and hope started to build within her. Looking at the rest of the team who still seemed confused, she read aloud, “I am a stranger and sojourner with you. Give me property, forbear a place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

Reid had named a different passage than what he had quoted. But he wouldn’t _do_ that. It was practically physically impossible for him to get something like that wrong, but that meant…

_Did he just give them clue?_

“He wouldn’t get that wrong unless it was on purpose.” Hotch confirmed, his pride for their teammate shining through.

“He’s in a cemetery.” Morgan stated, his voice way too calm in comparison to the excitement that was now flowing through her veins at the revelation.

“But which one?” Garcia asked as they made their way back to the computer room, “there must be thousands in Georgia!”

“Well, he can’t be too far, right?” Morgan questioned, starting to work out what they were all starting to realise at Garcia’s question, “he must be pretty close to the previous victims’ home for him to have gotten back as fast as he did to post the video.”

“Well, the time of death was around 9:04 as that’s when the call came in.” Emily said, continuing the line of thought smoothly, “when was the last video posted?”

“9:23,” Garcia answered quickly, with only a few seconds of keys clicking having to pass by before she got her answer. 

“That’s only about a 19-minute difference.” JJ realised, barely registering the sharp pain that came from answering something that would normally be in Reid’s domain. 

The anticipation of finally making progress on the investigation drowned everything out, and all that was left was a deep focus and drive to get him back.

“Okay.” Morgan continued, also clearly in problem-solving mode, “add in the time it would take to actually upload the video…”

He trailed off awaiting an answer, and Garcia didn’t disappoint when she chimed in quickly with, “two or three minutes.” 

“Let’s say two.” Morgan acknowledged, “and when we factor in a top speed of about 60 miles per hour in a residential area, Hankel has to be within a 17-mile radius of the crime scene.”

Again, the pain from the knowledge that Reid probably would’ve figured this out ages ago was still present, but JJ ignored it. They were closer to finding him than ever before, she couldn’t afford to lose focus now. 

None of them could.

“Garcia?” Hotch questioned, evidently agreeing with Morgan’s conclusion, “can we see that on a map?”

Without a word, she pulled up a map and highlighted the radius that Morgan had estimated. It was such a small area, and the hope that had been steadily building throughout this whole process increased tenfold.

_They were so close._

“Okay,” Morgan continued, his voice calm and steady, “now, are there any burial sites in that area?”

Again, the clicking of keys filled the room but when Garcia answered, “I can’t find any cemeteries listed,” a few seconds later, the lighter mood that had filled the room dimmed once more. 

That was, at least, until Gideon asked, “can you show us the first time we saw Reid?” 

It was the first thing he had said in a while, and JJ knew that it meant he had figured something essential out, as he was often wont to do. He had a knack for doing so, and she was more relieved than ever that he was here at this moment.

Garcia nodded, a hopeful smile on her face as she pulled up the video footage. In it, Reid looked far better than he had the most recent time they had seen him. It was expected, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. 

At Gideon’s prompting, Garcia played the video and one line stood out above all- _“I won’t choose who gets slaughtered and have you leave their remains behind like a poacher.”_

_A poacher._

The eye-slide to the camera as he said the word confirmed it, _poaching._ She felt her heart break slightly at the knowledge that he had left yet another clue and they had all missed it until now. 

She knew it couldn’t be helped- it was far more subtle than his narcissism clue after all, and yet…

If they had caught it, they could’ve had him back ages ago. 

Hotch didn’t let that thought stop him though, instead she watched as he asked, voice stoic as ever, “check for any reports of poaching from the last few days.”

“Okay.” Garcia confirmed, already typing before he had finished asking, “uhm… a farmer reported two sheep being slaughtered on his property?”

“Where we talking?” Morgan asked, his previously calm tone breaking slightly as they got even closer to getting an exact location.

Garcia zoomed in, and JJ jolted as something caught her eye, “what’s that green spot?” 

“Marshall Parish, I think it’s an old plantation” Hotch answered, and JJ could detect a hint of _something_ in his voice that would not normally be present. She was under no illusion that he was an emotionless robot or anything, but said emotion rarely made it into his voice and it made things suddenly seem a lot more real.

_They were almost there._

“Wait!” Emily exclaimed, the final puzzle pieces finally falling into place, “Tobias wrote in his journals about staying clean and keeping away from _Marshall._ ”

“Guys? There’s a cemetery on the grounds!” Garcia unveiled. Her voice almost shaking in excitement and JJ couldn’t help the relieved smile that flitted across her face at that reveal. 

They did it. _They actually did it._

She wasn’t surprised to see the same smile echoed on everyone else’s face in the room, and for a brief second everything was calm. 

Then it set in. 

_They did it._ They could finally go save their teammate and take him away from that horrid location. 

“Right,” Hotch said, clapping his hands together in order to draw their attention to him and shake them out of the stupor that had landed over them. The urgency was clear in his tone as he continued, “Garcia stay here and keep alert. We may need more information quickly.”

Garcia nodded, and remained seated as Hotch then turned to the rest of the team and gave them the order that JJ had been wishing for ever since that very first day in the barn:

“Everyone else, we need to leave. _Now._ ”


End file.
